


your dreams came true

by Rehearsal_Dweller



Series: Learning Normal, Finding Home [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 13:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehearsal_Dweller/pseuds/Rehearsal_Dweller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy proposes to Annabeth and everything changes, but nothing really does.<br/>Nico has a place in their lives no matter what.</p>
            </blockquote>





	your dreams came true

“I’m thinking about proposing to Annabeth,” Percy announced one afternoon.

Nico, who’d been dozing, nearly fell off of the couch.

Jason didn’t even look up from his book. “Is this a recent thought?”

“Uh, well, not exactly,” Percy admitted. “Technically I’ve been  _thinking_  about it since I was 17. But I meant, you know, concretely. I bought a ring.” He pulled a small box out of his pocket and set it on the table.

This time, Jason did put down the book. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” confirmed Percy.

“Dude, that’s awesome,” Jason said.

Nico seemed to have decided to pretend to still be asleep. Percy threw a magazine at him. “Nico, what do you think? How should I do this?”

Nico just buried his face in the pillow.

“What’s up with him?” Percy muttered to Jason.

Jason hesitated. “He – you know what, it’s not mine to tell. You ask him.”

Percy frowned and crossed the room, sitting down unceremoniously on Nico’s legs. “What’s up, kid?”

“Ah mmbph kupf vif Mal,” Nico mumbled unhelpfully into the pillow.

Percy grabbed the back of Nico’s shirt and pulled him up enough that his mouth wasn’t covered. “Repeat that, would you?”

“I broke up with Mal,” said Nico. “Happy? By the way,  _thanks_ for being a buffer like you said you would, Jase.”

“F’you’d just fess up we wouldn’t have this problem,” Jason replied, returning to his book.

Percy looked from Nico to Jason and back again. “What am I missing here?”

“Nothing,” Jason and Nico replied in unison.

“ _Great_ ,” said Percy. “You know I  _know_  you’re lying, right?”

“Yes.”

“Just making sure we’re all on the same page.”

Two months, three Nico Boyfriend Attempts, and one proposal later, Percy was again sitting on Nico’s legs on the couch, this time watching TV.

(It should be noted that this was a fairly regular occurrence. Nico was only ever seen sleeping when he was facedown on Percy and Jason’s couch, but Percy had made it known early on that he was not going to let that get in the way of his use of the living room.)

“Hey Nico?”

“Hmmm?”

“Will you be my best man? I know the wedding’s still a way off but it’s never too soon to a-”

“No.”

“What?”

“I said no, Perce. I  _can’t_. Ask Jason. Or Grover. Venus, ask  _Thalia_  for all I care. But I’m not doing it.”

“ _Why?”_

Nico pushed up on his elbows and twisted around to look Percy in the eye. “Perseus Jackson you know  _exactly_  why I do not want to be a part of your wedding party, and if you have  _forgotten_  the discussion that we had last week I will walk out of this apartment right now.”

“Right, right, no, I remember,” Percy said quickly. “Sorry.” Nico settled back on his pillow. “Sorry.”

Nico did actually attend the wedding, which kind of surprised Percy.

He even gave Annabeth a heartfelt hug and a kiss on the cheek, murmuring something to her as he did so that made her laugh and nod, saying, “Of course we can, don’t worry.”

(Percy didn’t know what that meant, but it was probably something he should be worrying about, knowing Annabeth and Nico. He’d ask later, but he knew he’d get no answer.)

He found Percy at the reception.

“Good luck,” Nico said, a small smile on his face.

“Thanks,” replied Percy, “I’m gonna need it.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“Here’s hoping. Knowing me we’ll end up blowing up the building three weeks after we move in.”

Nico shook his head, grinning. “She won’t let that happen.”

“Don’t underestimate my ability to attract trouble, Nico.”

“Annie’s a lucky girl. Troublemaker like you’s every good girl’s dream.”

About a week after the baby was born, Nico stopped by.

“What’s her name?” he asked from the doorway.

Percy jumped, startled. “Little warning would be nice next time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. What’s the baby’s name?”

“Marina. Marina Sophie Jackson.”

“She’s… uh… cute, I guess. Tiny. She’s so small, Perce. You’re holding a miniature human in your hands!”

“Gee, I hadn’t noticed. You wanna hold her? Everybody else seems to.”

“Better not.”

“You’re not gonna break her. And I know Annabeth’s gonna make you do it later.”

“I’ll wait.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Annabeth and Nico went out sometimes and complained about Percy to each other. They’d been doing it for years, ever since Annabeth found out the real reason for Nico’s whole avoidance thing. Percy knew about this. He’d protested it for a while, but by this point had long since given up.

Nowadays, at least, when Nico stopped in for an afternoon out with Annabeth, he spent the evening on the couch with Percy.

Nico had a more or less permanent place in their lives, and he fell into and out of it easily whenever he felt like existing in New York. He had a shelf in Marina’s closet and a box in Percy and Annabeth’s, his own blankets and pillows in the linen closet. He was Marina’s favourite uncle, and had even met some of Percy and Annabeth’s mortal friends.

“Do you think you’re ever going to settle down in a relationship of your own?” Percy asked.

Nico, who was half-asleep and leaning heavily on Percy, shook his head. “Not really my thing. But -” he yawned “I’ll stick around you and Annie and Rina until you get tired of me.”

“And the baby,” Percy added.

Nico lifted his head from Percy’s shoulder. “What?”

“Annabeth’s pregnant again,” said Percy, grinning.

“Woah,” Nico replied. “Congrats, Perce.” He paused. “S’pose this means you’ll need me to clear my stuff out of the nursery closet?”

“Only because we’re thinking about moving,” Percy answered. “Might leave the city, get a bigger place. Somewhere you can have your own room. You’ve been sleeping on the couch too long, it can’t be good for you.”

“My own – are you  _kidding_ me?”

“Why would I be? Annabeth and I have always said you can always call our place home, we might as well make it official. Any time you want to come back, you’ll have a space that’s yours. What do you think?”

“You and Annie are too good to me, Perseus Jackson.”

“Never.”  _After all that’s happened to you – after all that_ I’ve _done to you – you deserve a home. “_ We love you. Making sure you know that’s just part of our job.”


End file.
